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Quenta Silmarillion

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"Quenta Silmarillion" translates to "story of the Silmarils", from ''[[quen]]'' (to say, speak).<ref>{{S|Appendix}}, ''quen-''</ref>, Silmarilli = [[silima]] + [[ril]] (brilliance)<ref>{{S|Appendix}}, ''ril''</ref> + [[li]] (plural ending), and ''-on'' (genitive ending).<ref></ref>
"Quenta Silmarillion" translates to "story of the silmarils", from ''[[quen]]'' (to say, speak).<ref>{{S|Appendix}}, ''quen-''</ref>, Silmarilli = [[silima]] + [[ril]] (brilliance)<ref>{{S|Appendix}}, ''ril''</ref> + [[-li]] (plural ending), and ''[[-on]]'' (genitive ending).<ref></ref>
==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 22:46, 28 June 2020

The Silmarillion chapters
  1. Ainulindalë
  2. Valaquenta
  3. Quenta Silmarillion
    1. Of the Beginning of Days
    2. Of Aulë and Yavanna
    3. Of the Coming of the Elves
    4. Of Thingol and Melian
    5. Of Eldamar
    6. Of Fëanor
    7. Of the Silmarils
    8. Of the Darkening of Valinor
    9. Of the Flight of the Noldor
    10. Of the Sindar
    11. Of the Sun and Moon
    12. Of Men
    13. Of the Return of the Noldor
    14. Of Beleriand and its Realms
    15. Of the Noldor in Beleriand
    16. Of Maeglin
    17. Of the Coming of Men into the West
    18. Of the Ruin of Beleriand
    19. Of Beren and Lúthien
    20. Of the Fifth Battle
    21. Of Túrin Turambar
    22. Of the Ruin of Doriath
    23. Of Tuor and the Fall of Gondolin
    24. Of the Voyage of Eärendil
  4. Akallabêth
  5. Of the Rings of Power

Quenta Silmarillion is the third part of The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Quenta Silmarillion is Quenya translated as the "Tale of the Silmarils". The Sindarin title is Pennas Silevril meaning the same.[1]

Quenta Silmarillion is the longest part in the book, consisting of more than twenty chapters. The saga deals with the history of Arda following the entrance of the Ainur as the Valar (see Ainulindalë).





The Valar then made for themselves a home at the utmost West, upon Aman. Then the Valar began to reshape Arda yet again, making it habitable and preparing it for the coming of the Children of Ilúvatar: Elves and Men. However everywhere they went, Melkor followed them spoiling the fruit of their labour and damaging their achievements. Thus, all of Arda was marred by Melkor's anger, envy and lust of power.


Some of the Elves refused to go westward. They became known as the Avari. Two houses of the Elves, the Vanyar and the Noldor crossed the Great Sea with the help of the Valar. A third house, called the Teleri lingered on the eastern shore of the Great Sea and in the west of Middle-earth. Eventually many of the Teleri crossed the Great Sea, but some Teleri remained in Middle Earth. The groups of Teleri that remained are termed Sindar, Nandor and Falathrim. (See: Sundering of the Elves).

At some time between the imprisonment of Melkor and his release, the Valar created the Two Trees, Laurelin and Telperion, which filled Valinor with light.



The furious Fëanor followed Melkor (whom he re-named Morgoth). This was done against the will of the Valar, and during Fëanor's flight he slew many of the Teleri, over their refusal to lend him their ships (First Kinslaying). For this he and his followers were forbidden to approach Aman ever again. However, Fëanor ignored this punishment and managed to cross the Great Ocean eastward. There he joined with the Sindar, who had been in Middle-earth all along. Years after this flight, in order to diminish the darkness, the Valar launched the Sun, so that it would dissolve Melkor's shadows.

Morgoth, having returned to Middle-earth, fortified his previous secondary fortress, Angband with its capital at Thangorodrim. From there he waged war upon the Sindar. However, with the help of the Noldor who had just crossed the Ocean, the first onslaught of Morgoth's attack was thrown off.

Following this, the Noldor settled with the Sindar in the West of Middle-earth, known as Beleriand. They adopted the Sindarin language instead of their native Quenya. This period of relative peace and stability was short-lived (at least by the Elves' standards). One of the first victims of this war was Fëanor himself. As time passed, Morgoth gathered more and more force.

Three hundred years after the coming of the Noldor to Beleriand, Middle-earth witnessed the awakening of Men, the Secondborn (or the Followers). Most of them allied with the Elves in order to defend Beleriand from Morgoth. However neither elvish skill, nor mannish resolve succeeded in defying him. One after another, the domains of Elves and Men were destroyed and filled with evil.

At last, more than five centuries after the flight of the Noldor, Eärendil, the son of an Elf-woman and a Man set sail to the West with the only Silmaril that his ancestors managed to recover. He was allowed to land in Aman, and to plead with the Valar for mercy towards the Elves and Men.

The Valar agreed to pardon the Noldor. They set out to fight Morgoth and were victorious. Morgoth was expelled from Arda. However during the conflict, the very continent of Beleriand was destroyed and sunk, thus forming a new shoreline for Middle-earth, hundreds of miles to the east.


Eärendil, because he possessed both mortal and immortal heritage, was given the opportunity to choose his fate; a gift that was also given to all of his descendants who were born of an immortal parent. His Silmaril became a bright star. One Silmaril was sunk in the water of the Great Ocean, and the third was lost in the depths of the Earth. Thus other than the sun and moon above, no trace remained on Middle-earth of the Two Trees of Valinor; but their influence lives on in the elements: air, water and fire/earth.


"Quenta Silmarillion" translates to "story of the silmarils", from quen (to say, speak).[2], Silmarilli = silima + ril (brilliance)[3] + -li (plural ending), and -on (genitive ending).[4]

External links

